Extra-Ordinary Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Or not. Sometimes the hype and the anticipation of the season makes the hardness of it that much harder too. There are so many things I love about this time of year- lights, music, finding gifts for those I love, the wonder of the story of the birth of Christ. My Savior. God becoming flesh.

But the clash of the disappointing, frustrating and overwhelming parts of this season often overshadow. The crowds, lines, spending and more spending, extended family drama, unmet expectations, overcrowded schedules or the feelings of loneliness as everyone hustles about and you are not.

I find myself living in tension this season. Getting up early to read my Advent devotion, only to be interrupted by two little children who can’t seem to share the ENTIRE couch. And it’s not even 6am. Appliances breaking just in time to host family at Christmas. Parking lots, long lines and working hard to stay on the budget while shopping for gifts for under the tree.  Work parties, school parties, church gatherings. Or lonely days while others seem to be off to holiday fun and I am doing the same tasks I did in November and will do in April; laundry, cleaning, bills and groceries.

And I wonder about that little town of Bethlehem. So small and ordinary. With nothing to make the world take notice. Worn out travelers, merchants, animals, families, shepherds, carpenters, mamas and daddies. Going about their tasks, their everyday normal when SPLENDOR broke through. Not loud or demanding. Not with glitter and fanfare. But a tired, traveled and worn young girl, her new husband, a stable, and the SON of God.

 

Can you imagine? Can you relate?

Something extra-ordinary from the ordinary. A small town, a young girl, a silent night.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

I have to admit I’m having to reset my mind more than I hoped for this season. I have to check my heart and realign it more times than I’d like. The real truth my heart needs this year more than any other is that Jesus entered the everyday. The ordinary. The good news was spoken (by angels no less) to the least, the hard working, the smelly shepherds working the fields. The Messiah came to a stable, a leftover place, a not prepared space for this new born King. God came. 

And in a way nothing changed. And yet EVERYTHING changed.

Mary was still a young, tired, worn out traveler with a new husband and a baby to care for. The shepherds went back to their fields. The next morning, as the little town of Bethlehem awoke, merchants, and mamas and daddies all did what they always did. 

Nothing was different- but everything was.

I don’t know what today looks like in your heart. If you are merry and bright or if the weight of the season, of loved ones lost, or simply the demands of the Christmas countdown are closing in. Can you and I take a minute to close our eyes and picture that moment when LOVE came in the form of a baby? It was so ordinary. And so extraordinary! May you seek a settling of your heart today. To know that God is near in the everyday moments. 

And even though it’s just another day, with more things to do than time to do it. Something is different. Everything changed. God came near at Christmas.

It’s a small decision, but a decision none the less.

I have decided to stop saying that “next week will be better.” Not “better” as in- this week is bad. Just “better” in that I will have more time, things will be less stressful, we will have fewer commitments and overall life will throw us fewer surprises than the current week.

I have decided to own up to the current reality that “next week” never comes.  Because there is always a “next week.” ...to read more click here!

It surprised me how long it took. Not too long ago, we had cement poured to extend our driveway. The first day the crew put the forms together to create the boundary for the cement. The following morning, a cement truck pulled up and began pouring the cement into the designated areas. Just a short while later, the cement was poured and the truck was gone. I thought the rest of the crew would be leaving soon, and we would just have to wait for the cement to dry.

Boy, was I wrong. The next 6 to 8 hours the workers used tools to continue to level off the cement as it dried to ensure it settled properly. Occasionally they would hose it down with water to keep it moist and continue to use the levels to make sure the surface was smooth. It was a tedious job. A long tedious job.

This process and the unexpected time it took after the cement was poured reminded me about my spiritual journey. I’m often surprised at the time and effort that’s required to continue to walk with Jesus after my initial decision to do so. I unknowingly expect things to go more quickly, with less resistance, or to come more easily (like being patient or kind) because I’m already a child of God.

Continue reading!

Your love NEVER fails!

Just a couple of weeks ago my family enjoyed a concert on the lawn of a local Christian college.  Being outdoors our kids enjoyed the music while also enjoying the freedom to run around in the grass.  If you were there and your worship experience was dampened by said children playing tag around you and using their “outside” voice, then I apologize right now. I’m quite certain my family is to blame.


You see, having 5 children between the ages of 2-12 we were fairly limited in the activities we could do during our Christmas break that would make everyone mostly happy, and would be affordable. Finding an outdoor Christian concert was a big YES, so we bundled up and took on the adventure. Click here to read more.

Did I miss something?

If you went to the store any time over the weekend you probably saw what I did this morning; an isle full of “Halloween” candy being clearanced while new cards and candy were being stocked.  CHRISTMAS cards and candy I might add.  CHRISTMAS.  I stopped breathing for a moment as I faced the reality that the Christmas countdown has begun. 

All you crafty types probably already knew this and right. at. this. moment. have homemade gifts ready for teachers and family members. In a Christ like way I just have to tell you that we can’t be friends.  Not until after I purchase my practical and somehow less “special” gift cards- and decide if a new Christmas family photo is in order or do we all look close enough to last years that we can just use that.  Until then, back off and keep your fancy gift bows and Hobby Lobby bags to yourself.  We can return to the functioning body of Christ on Dec 26. I will look forward to it. 

But I digress. 

Did I miss something? Did we skip Thanksgiving altogether? Last time I check the calendar that comes between Oct 31^st and December 25^th. 

Oh, but then it hit me. You can’t buy Thankgiving. Right? I mean, isn’t a foundational principle of Thanksgiving to be grateful for what WE ALREADY HAVE?! To be content. To focus on the blessings we’ve already been given. To be consumed with the blessing we do have, not don’t have. The ones that can be placed in a bag or a box and have a receipt in case we already have one. Or don’t need it. Or just don’t like the way it fits.

So today, I’m just owning the fact that it’s just the beginning of November. And as excited as I get as the next girl with all things Christmas, and gift giving, and lights and Christmas music, the Lord used my little episode in the grocery store to stop me in my tracks. That’s not to say that I won’t be looking for some good buys and anticipating the ways I can bless the people in my life for Christmas. Or if you feel so lead, you can bless me this Christmas. But I’m gonna start with Thanksgiving. Today.

In my heart.

In my life.

From my mouth.

Not that it’s that hard to do. I am blessed beyond measure. 

But it’s just easy to skip ahead. To join the masses. To clearance and discount the items from yesterday. The answers to prayer. The ways God showed up. His provisions both seen and unseen. And to stock my shelves with the wishes and hopes for tomorrow. 

Will you join me in this season of THANKFULNESS?

 

Will you send a card of thanks to someone you know needs to hear it? Offer a meal to someone in need out of the abundance that God has given you. Pray a prayer for a friend who can’t come up with the words to pray herself. Focus on the blessings of parenting and not just the pains? Tell your spouse how much you love them instead of the ways they don’t measure up.

Thanksgiving. 

That starts today.

1 Thes 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

And trust me, you’ll want to get good at this. Because pretty soon you’ll be fighting for a parking spot at the mall or the last strand of Christmas lights at Big Lots and you will need this reminder.  And so will I. 

Give thanks!

Perspective Shift

It’s Monday! Again. Sheesh, does every week have to have a Monday?

Can I be honest? I’m feeling a bit worn down today. How about you? Some weeks I can attack a Monday with stealth speed, accomplishing more in one day it seems then I do the entire rest of the week.  That is not today. I am artificially pumping alertness into my bloodstream and readjusting my expectations for the day.

So today, in fact right at this moment, is a great time to remind us both of the name of God, Jehovah- Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. The God who shows up when we are between a rock and a hard place. The God who is there when a problem, concern, situation or relationship is a Goliath in our path.

How’s your perspective today? Are you being limited by what you can see? Perspective is never just what we see, it’s how we view what we see. Can I challenge you and me at the same time? To shift our perspective so that we don’t simply see the battles before us, but the Lord of Hosts who fights our battles?

Ephesians 6:12 says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

I know it’s easy for me to forget the real battle.  The battles in my marriage, with my kids, in relationships, in the workplace aren’t really the battles at all.  Oh sure, there are issues and things that need attention and resolve.  But the battle, the real battle? The truth is there is spiritual battle FOR my marriage, FOR my children, FOR my relationships.  Those are the spiritual battles being fought in unseen places.

Let us not grow weary in doing good (Gal 6:9). May God shift our perspective to the Lord of Hosts who fights our battles for us. Stay in His Word today. Talk to Him in prayer today. Know that He is near to the brokenhearted (Ps 34:18) and that if He is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31).

Fight the good fight today! Stop right where you are and ask God to open your heart and eyes to see things the way He does. Run to His Word for power and truth.

Sea Glass Pieces

The jar sits on my bookshelf in the bedroom.  A collection of fragmented sea glass, each piece unique and beautiful in its own way.  Never mind that I bought the glass in a bag at the craft store.  If I lived closer to the beach I would have certainly collected it on my own.  But I do not, so the craft store kind was the best I could do. You understand, don’t you?

You see, I had just finished reading a section out of Dr. Leslie Parrott’s book, You Matter More Than You Think, and I knew I needed a reminder. In fact, I may just go out and get another jar and some more sea glass to place reminders all around my house. It seems like in this season of my life I need more reminding than in others.

Why the sea glass you ask? I’ll tell you. It wasn’t my idea but one worth sharing so I’ll give you my take on what Dr. Leslie said.

I’m not sure how you feel or what you think when you look around, but sometimes I feel like a collection of glass pieces.  Broken, mismatched, odd shaped and individually nothing to speak of.  

But when I see you, you are a beautiful glass jar being shaped and molded by your Creator.  You are one single unique product, whole, significant, with a purpose designed by God.

I know that’s not true. But that’s how I feel. Or felt. And sometimes feel again until I see my jar.

Sea glass is formed when actual glass jars and bottles are captured by the sea, tossed and broken.  The pieces are then battered by the storms and waves, and grinded down by the sand.  The result? Unique, smooth, and sometimes jagged pieces of glass. On their own each piece is a find, a treasure.

Oh but as a collection, it’s priceless. Beautiful. Dazzling. From every angle it’s different and amazing and curious and significant.

You and I are God’s collection of sea glass pieces.  Each piece representing fragments of our lives, the different areas of influence, responsibilities, relationships, strengths and weaknesses our lives hold.  While on their own they appear to not measure up to much, as a whole, a magnificent sea glass collection, they are priceless. You are priceless. I am priceless.  To God.

So for me, I’m resisting the temptation to look at you as a beautiful, put together, useful, glass piece. But most days that's hard. I’m resisting the temptation to see myself as fragmented, broken and random.

And so I bought a jar and sea glass from the craft store. As a reminder. That God loves me dearly and He uses all the parts and pieces of my life to form a beautiful collection that reflects His handiwork. And He does the same for you. He uses the storms of life and the grind of the mundane to smooth and polish each peace to His liking.

Now you understand, don’t you?  Why the jar full of sea glass sits on my bookshelf. Now it’s your turn. Go get a jar.  And head to the beach- or craft store- and go make yourself a collection! You are loved. You have purpose. You are priceless. And maybe ask God who you need to share this with, and give them a jar as well.